Salisbury Selectmen create Energy Committee to pursue efficiency grants

The Salisbury Board of Selectmen voted April 15 to create an Energy Committee aimed at researching energy‑saving grants and potential measures tied to a proposed new highway building.

Chair Jim Hoyt moved to establish the committee and named Joe Schmidl, Lorna Carlisle, Bob Irvinig and Nan O’Neil as members, with Selectman David Hostetler serving as Selectman ex‑officio. Selectman David Kelly seconded the motion, which the board approved without opposition.

Residents who asked the board to reestablish the committee emphasized grant opportunities; Selectman Hoyt said he did not want to increase the upfront cost of the highway building but was open to assistance that could lower long‑term expenses. Town Administrator April Rollins told the board the committee could help identify funding pathways, though specific grants were not named at the meeting.

The committee will be newly constituted; no charter, budget allocation or meeting schedule was specified at the April 15 meeting. The creation came amid other planning work on the highway project, which the board said requires unresolved design and bidding decisions before construction moves forward.

Next procedural steps were not detailed; the board did not set a date for the Energy Committee’s first meeting during the session.